Explosion
by thebestoftimes11
Summary: James, Kerry and Rat are sent on a mission to Scotland to attempt to find out more about Ashton Milford. Milford is a big name in the weaponry industry, and it is suspected that he is planning something big. And, will this be Rat's time to shine?
1. Chapter 1

James burst into his room, tired and sweaty from combat training, to find a message from his handler, Meryl Spencer. He was to make his way to the mission control building, because there was a new mission lined up for him. James quickly gave himself a blast of deodorant and pulled on a clean black CHERUB t-shirt. He took a golf buggy over to the mission control building. He was tired after being beaten up by Bruce in the dojo. James pressed in the code to gain access to the building, and stepped into the office of retired M15 agent and now senior mission controller, John Jones. James' friends, Rat Regan and Kerry Chang were already seated, and were scanning a small booklet. James took a seat beside Rat and took the briefing John held out to him.

_**CLASSIFIED**_

_Mission Briefing:_

_For James Adams,_

_Kerry Chang and Greg Regan_

_DO NOT REMOVE FROM THIS BUILDING. DO NOT COPY OR MAKE NOTES. ANY ATTEMPT TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN PUNISHMENT._

_Weaponry_

_There is a big market for weaponry at the moment. With armies wanting new guns, gangs wanting knives and general criminals wanting general weapons, there is a chance for people in the industry to make a lot of money. It is rumored that some of the bigger weapon makers have been involved with terrorist groups, such as Help Earth, and have been dealing with them._

_Ashton Milford _

_Ashton Milford is a big name in the weapon industry. Based in the North of Scotland and with over fifty warehouses, and international links in Japan, Australia, Iran and Italy, he is well into the trade. He has been selling weapons for over thirty years, dealing directly with troops in Afghanistan and with the has recently been getting closer to a few remaining members of Help Earth, including Scargill Dunn, and trying to source explosives from around the country. It is suspected that Milford has a plan to do something big, extremely big._

_1992- Milford established his presence in the weapon trade by exploding onto radars after he supplied a large group of suicidal terrorists with explosives. The terrorists were attempting to blow up the Edinburgh Castle. Milford himself was involved in the scheme, which failed after the explosives were in fact duds. _

_1994- Milford dealt with the MOD, supplying them with powerful guns to use in warfare. The guns were so powerful that you could blow yourself to pieces shooting with one, and a young army member unfortunately did. The MOD were on Milford's trail after that, but lost him after he placed decoys around the country._

_1997- Milford takes a break from work after his youngest child, Marc, is born near the end of 1996. Milford slipped off radars after being inactive for so long._

_2000- When the bells sounded to announce the beginning of the millennium, Milford was waiting in Trafalgar Square, explosives and bombs set up underground. As soon as the bells went to commemorate the beginning of the New Year, Milford set off his explosives, killing the shoppers in the square. Nobody knew it was Milford, as the bombs were set up to look like stray fireworks. People suspected though, and Milford was back on radars._

_2004- After Help Earth attempted to blow up the conference building, everyone wondered where they had sourced explosives. Once again, fingers were pointed at Milford. Police finally caught Milford and he was taken to prison for 24 months. He was let out in 2006, and later moved up to Scotland. He was trying to live the 'quiet life' with his wife and three kids, but the thirst for adventure and crime was in his blood. _

_CHERUB's involvement_

_Milford has three children. Agents must get close to the family, plant bugs around the house and try getting as much information as possible._

_James Jones (16) - Gary Milford (16)_

_Kerry Jones (16) - Abby Milford (15)_

_Greg (Rat) Jones (14) - Marc Milford (14)_

_John Jones will be posing as the single father figure. James will have to undergo a slight change of appearance to look like Greg and Kerry will be an adopted sister. John will be the blood father of Greg and James, and Kerry will be a daughter that John adopted to accompany James. Your cover story is that John has been offered a job in Scotland, so you have all moved up._

_This mission is classed as HIGH RISK. All agents are reminded of their right to refuse the mission or withdraw at any time. CHERUB and MI5 will be partners for this mission._

James quickly finished his briefing and slid it across the table. Kerry and Rat did the same shortly after. John looked round at the three cherubs.

"I'm in." Rat broke the silence. Kerry nodded in agreement, as did James, who looked fit to burst.

"Yes James, your question?" John sighed wearily, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Scargill Dunn, as in the guy from my first mission? Fire and Worlds brother?"

"Yes."

"But, I thought he got busted?"

"He was let out after 2 years for good behaviour."

"But why's he up in Scotland?"

"Milford obviously contacted him regarding explosives. Bungle is still on the run, remember, and Scargill was close to Bungle. Scargill may well be the link between Ashton and Bungle."

"Ah. Oh, and this appearance change? When will it happen?"

"When we arrive at our 'new house' in Scotland. Now, scram and pack, we leave at 5 this evening. You are excused from lessons for the rest of the day." John shooed the trio out of his office and into the hall outside. Kerry led the way out of the building.

"Why don't we grab a late breakfast? Everyone else will be in lessons now." she said, climbing into the passenger seat of the golf buggy. James got behind the wheel, and Rat squeezed up next to Kerry.

James dabbed the accelerator and the trio rode over to the main building. It was a lovely day, and all three cherubs were quite happy to crawl along at a slow pace, until James' stomach gave an almighty rumble. James laughed and sped the buggy up a little. They reached the main building a minute later and Kerry and Rat went inside to grab a table while James parked the buggy in its original spot. When James had parked the buggy and was heading inside, he passed his handler, Meryl Spencer.

"I heard you're leaving for another mission?" Meryl asked. James nodded.

"Yeah, it's kinda linked to my first mission."

"Interesting. Well, be sure to keep safe on another mission." Meryl patted his shoulder as she walked off. James walked into the dining hall and began piling his plate high with food, when he noticed a familiar face at his usual table, with Kerry and Rat. He quickly put a few more rashers of bacon on his plate and made his way over.

"Amy Collins! Long time no see!" he said, dropping his tray on the table next to Kerry and giving Amy a hug. Amy laughed,

"I know! I've been accepted back as a mission controller! I'll be working with Chloe at first though." she said, straightening her white CHERUB t-shirt as she stood up.

"Well, I must be going, see you three around!" Amy said, walking off towards the door of the dining hall. James picked up his fork and speared a rasher of bacon, just about to close his lips around it, when he noticed Kerry and Rat both laughing at him. James sighed and brought the bacon back down, away from his mouth.

"What now?" James said, looking at his two friends.

"You can practically see the string of drool hanging from your mouth!" Kerry laughed, snorting as she collapsed against Rat, who was also having a laughing fit. James couldn't see funny side of being glad to see a friend again and he resumed the eating of his breakfast. Kerry finally calmed down enough to begin her fruit salad, and Rat stood up with his coffee and a muffin in his hand.

"I'm heading up to pack. See you two out front at 5." he said, blowing on his coffee as he walked across the dining room. James nodded a reply and continued shoveling food into his mouth. Kerry watched him in disgust, wrinkling her nose.

"You are a pig, James Adams. You act, and eat like one." she said, spearing a grape with her fork. James shrugged,

"So what? The ladies love me this way." Kerry snorted as she chewed a grape.

"Yeah right."

"You did."

"Yeah, did."

"You still did."

"Shut it Adams!" Kerry giggled, finishing off her fruit salad. She stood up and grabbed her plastic box and cutlery to put in the bin.

"See you later." she said, walking off towards the door. James felt confused as he watched Kerry walk off. He had found himself thinking about Kerry a lot since he broke up with Dana. Sure, they'd had their bad times, but their relationship had been full of good times too. James shook his head as he finished off his breakfast and went up to his room to pack some stuff. He'd already hurt Kerry more than once. He wasn't prepared to do it again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

James met Rat and Kerry out by the main entrance at exactly 5 o'clock. John Jones arrived a few moments later, with him an old and familiar CHERUB face- Kyle Blueman. James broke into a smile when he saw his best friend, and now M15 agent, walking towards them."Kyle!" James said, greeting his friend with a manly hug. Kyle grinned as Kerry launched herself at him."Kyle! How are you? What are you doing here?" Kerry said, pulling back and smiling at an old friend. Kyle greeted Rat with a friendly fist pound and turned back to Kerry."I'm the M15 agent working on the mission with you." Kyle said, as John lifted the kid's cases into their 4x4. John slid behind the wheel and Kyle sat in the front seat. The three kids sat together in the back."Erm, John?" Rat asked. John raised his eyebrows and looked at Rat in the mirror.

"Rat?"

"How long will this journey be?" the newly qualified navy shirt asked. John thought for a moment.

"Probably about 1 hour on the plane from London to Glasgow, then an hour up to Perth from there." John replied, starting the car and driving across campus. Rat groaned- this was going to be a long day.

••••••••••

James was sitting next to Kyle on the plane, who had fallen asleep and was snoring like a pig. James lightly pinched Kyle's cheek, and the M15 agent woke with a start.

"We're landing, sleeping beauty. Put your belt on." James said, buckling up his own belt. Kyle fastened his belt with a click before leaning back to resume sleep for the last few minutes. James punched his shoulder.

"Wake up! No one sleeps on landing!" Kyle groaned,

"Well I do." Kyle said, shutting his eyes and turning away from the younger boy. James sighed and went back to playing COD on the PSP provided by the plane. Kerry and Rat were sitting together in the two seats behind James and Kyle. For most of the journey they had been watching films or discussing the mission. When the hostesses came round to ask everyone to fasten their seat belts for landing, Rat felt sick. He had always hated the landing of a plane, and sometimes suffered from mild altitude sickness. He and Kerry both buckled their seat belts as the plane began to dip.

•••••••••

Kyle, James and Kerry all unbuckled their belts when the plane stopped, whereas Rat was curled up in a ball, clutching Kerry's hand. He had been terrified when the plane started dipping, and Kerry's hand was the first thing he found to grab. Kerry gently released her hand from his vice-like grip and undid his belt.

"Rat. The plane has landed. You're okay." she said, helping Rat out of his chair. Rat looked stricken as he pulled his hand luggage out of the hold above the seats and walked towards the front of the plane, behind Kerry. He snapped out of his daze when he stepped off the plane, though. The cold Scottish air and drizzle hit him like a brick as he descended down the stairs from the plane to the ground. He jumped on the bus to take them over to the main airport and he stood beside his 'father', John. John ruffled Rat's hair.

"You alright?" he asked, gripping on to the hand rail at the side of the bus. Rat nodded, hoping that some of the colour was returning to his pallid face.

"Nervous?" Rat went to shake his head, then stopped. Was he nervous? Not really, all he wanted now was that prestigious black shirt. He knew it would be tough, though. He'd had to work extremely hard just to get his navy shirt, so how hard would it be to get his black one? He desperately wanted to catch up with his girlfriend, and James' sister, Lauren Adams, who was one of the youngest black shirts in CHERUB history. Rat was jolted out of his daydream by James punching his shoulder. The bus had stopped at the main building and the 'family' were getting off the bus. John and Kyle were already over at the conveyer belt, loading suitcases onto a trolley, when James, Rat and Kerry arrived. James pulled his blue and Kerry's purple suitcases off the conveyer belt and loaded them onto the trolley. Rat loaded his own silver one on and John led them over to a tall, burly man who was standing with a piece of paper marked- Jones. The burly man took them out to a black people carrier waiting in the car park and got behind the wheel. Kyle got into the middle seat at the front while John helped to lift the cases into the boot. Kerry tapped John's shoulder and discreetly tipped her head towards the man in the front seat, hoping John would understand. John nodded and whispered in Kerry's ear.

"He's an MI5 bodyguard. Name is Hans Luke." John said, his voice low and quiet. Kerry nodded and climbed into the back with Rat and James on either side.

"Who's the burly dude?" James asked, as the bodyguard turned the key in the ignition and the car hummed to life.

"MI5 bodyguard called Hans Luke." Kerry replied, doing up her seatbelt as the car pulled out of the car park. James gave Kerry a thumbs up as he pulled his own PSP from his pocket. He leant across to ask Rat if he wanted to have a game of COD, but the 14 year old was already asleep, snoring softly. Kerry smiled.

"Flight must have taken it out of him." Kerry said, smiling fondly at the younger boy. James gave a grunt as he switched on his PSP.

"He's a good kid, but I swear, if he hurts my sister-" James was interrupted by Kerry jabbing him in the ribs.

"As if Rat would ever want to hurt Lauren," she said, pushing James over a bit. "Now move over, I want to get some sleep before we get to our 'new house'." James sighed and reluctantly moved over a bit as the big car pulled out of the car park and onto the motorway.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So sorry for not updating recently! I've had exams recently but they're all over now, so hopefully I can crack on and write a bit more! I want to introduce Lawson's kids in the next chapter, so there might not be much action in the next few chapters, but (fingers crossed!) there will be some later! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

**thebestoftimes**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for being so perseverent and tuning in to the next chapter of 'Explosion'. Enjoy!**

**Perhaps I should have included this earlier- sorry! Disclaimer: I'm not Robert Muchamore and therefore, don't own Cherub. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

James woke with a start as the car pulled into the driveway, the wheels crunching on the stones. Rat was watching a film intently on the screen on the headrest in front, whereas Kerry was lying asleep, head resting on James' shoulder. James pushed her gently, attempting to wake her up.

"Kerry? Kerrrrryyy?" James said, whispering in her ear. But Kerry remained oblivious, in a deep sleep. James pulled Rat's headphones out, to which Rat moaned and looked greatly annoyed.

"Whaaaat?" Rat groaned, popping the headphones back into their bag on his lap. James pointed down at Kerry as if to say _'Help. She's asleep, and not waking up.' _Rat rolled his eyes in reply.

"I can see that she's asleep. I don't feel like helping you." Rat said, grinning slyly and jumping out of the car. James frowned and went to shout, then realised that Kyle was staring back at him, and laughing.

"What's so funny, Kyle?" James asked, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you're gonna have to carry her inside."

"Excuse me?" James asked, a hint of shock in his voice. "I'm not carrying her inside." Kyle shrugged.

"Leave her out here then. It'll be on your conscience." Kyle said, picking up his jumper from the floor and pushing the door of the car open. The door shut with a slam, and soon, James and Kerry were alone inside the car. Hans had taken in the cases when they had arrived. Just as James was about to open the car door and leave Kerry outside, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

**_1 new message from Rat. Recieved at 20:03._**

James clicked on the message, and hummed a tune while it opened.

_**muaaahaaa i've got t best room. better hurry up mr adams.. and bring kerry inside. she'll shoot u if u don't, something i'd pay 2 c!:)**_

James pushed his phone back into his pocket, sighing, and undid his and Kerry's seatbelt. He opened the car door and gently lifted Kerry out. She stirred for a moment, then woke as James closed the car door.

"Mmmnn, put me down, James. You're hurting me." James grimaced and put Kerry down. Whenever he tried to something nice it just didn't end up in his favour. Kerry wobbled on dead legs for a moment, then straightened up.

"I call the best room!" Kerry shouted, running up towards the house. James grinned, would she shoot Rat when she found out he had it?

* * *

><p>The three agents had just eaten dinner and were unpacking when John called them down to the dining room. There was a dark haired stranger with 3 piercings in each ear seated at the table.<p>

"Kids, this is Jordan Guilan, the best in his trade. He's here to help with James' appearance change." Jordan nodded at the kids as James sat down at the table. He looked slightly nervous as Jordan began pulling various bowls and tools out of his bag. Jordan began mixing dyes together in a small bowl, looking up at James from time to time.

"No need to look so nervous, kid. All I'm gonna do is give your mop a dye, possibly a trim and give you some coloured contacts to wear. No biggie, right?" Jordan said, stirring the gloopy dye with a brush. James gave a half smile, his stomach churning at the thought of losing the blonde locks he liked so much. Kerry smirked inwardly as Jordan began advancing towards an apprehensive James, brush in hand. James winced as Jordan began lathering the mixture over his head, thick gloop seeping into every crack and crevice, right down to his roots. In no time at all, Jordan was done 'painting' and stood back to admire his handiwork.

"Now that that's done, I'm gonna look out some coloured contacts. Where's the dude you wanna look like?"

"It's not by choice, but this is Rat, my 'brother'." James said, beckoning Rat over. Rat stood beside James, as Jordan stared deep into his eyes, scrutinising his irises.

"Okay, your eyes, they are kinda hazely brown." Rat raised his eyebrows as Jordan began rummaging through his bag for the contacts. He finally emerged with a square box. He shook it, then opened it, revealing around 10 sets of contact lenses.

"Once you wear these, mate, put them back in the dish and squirt them with this contact solution," He said, holding up a small bottle. "They are fine to wear multiple times, dude. No worries." James nodded and took the box from Jordan, setting it down on the table. "Okay then. Go and do whatever kids do for half an hour while the dye soaks in. I'll call you when you have to wash it off." James smiled slightly and rose from the chair, leading Rat and Kerry back upstairs. Kerry grinned as the threesome sat down in the lounge.

"You guys are gonna look like twins once this is over!" She giggled, much to James' distaste.

"Please. Shut. Up. This is not by choice!" James said. Rat frowned,

"Is it that bad to be looking like me?" He asked, punching James in the shoulder before sitting down in front of the television. Kerry, still giggling slightly, switched the television on. The news was all the same, bad bad news all over the world. They sat in silence for a while, just watching the television. James thought he felt something wet on the side of his face, but just dismissed it as his imagination. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up the rapidly darkening room.

_**1 new message from Kerry. Recieved at 21:59.**_

_**u might wanna go look in the mirror... :L**_

__James looked at Kerry, who was laughing so hard she could barely speak. James shot to his feet and bolted to the bathroom. Sure enough, something was sliding down his cheek. Multiple droplets of brown dye had been rolling down his cheek, staining it a murky brown. James growled and raced downstairs to confront Jordan. Jordan looked up as a furious James burst into the kitchen. Jordan just stared at him nonchalantly.

"It's time, dude. Go wash it off." James, thankful to have this gloop off his head, made his way up to the bathroom, stripped off, and jumped into the shower. Moments later he was out, and drying himself with a towel. Still apprehensive to look in the mirror, James redressed and headed down to the kitchen. As soon as he opened the door, gasps met his ears and Kerry's jaw dropped.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think! So sorry, I keep promising to be more regular with my updates! Pinky promise I'll try to update in the next few days! I know I said that Milford's kids would be introduced in this chapter, but with the appearance change and everything, I'll introduce them in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, dudes! Oh, gosh, I sound like Jordan now :L<strong>

**thebestoftimes x**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Wow."

Kerry had to admit it. James looked good, with his new brown locks. Kerry found herself staring at him, her mouth wide open. Kerry knew that now, with this James even more good looking than before, she wouldn't stand a chance. Kerry shook her head. Not that she even wanted a chance with him. Did she? Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Rat nudging her gently. She glanced down at the younger agent, then back to James.

"Does it look that bad?" James asked, nervously, touching his head as he sat down in front of Jordan. Jordan gave a slight smile as he pulled a comb and a set of scissors from his belt. He combed James' hair through until it lay flat against his scalp, then, looking at Rat's locks for inspiration and guidance, he began cutting the hair before him. Soon, he was done. James hair was almost exactly like Rat's, though it was shorter, less messy and looked slightly more professional. Jordan then plugged a small, red hairdryer into the socket and began drying James' new dark hair. Once dry, James ran a hand through his hair. It felt different, almost alien, and he liked it. Jordan handed him a small mirror, and James was pleased with what he saw. He looked good, and didn't need someone to tell him that he did. James winked at his reflection then looked up at Jordan.

"Cheers, mate. This is better than I thought it would be." John jumped in at this point,

"I did tell you he was the best in his trade," John said, quickly, shooting Jordan a sideways glance before shooing the kids out of the kitchen for the last time that night. "Out, kids. Get into bed soon, you need to be refreshed for your big day tomorrow." Once they were out of the kitchen, Rat gave an almighty yawn, and stretched.

"I think I'm gonna go to sleep now, guys. I'm pretty tired," Kerry smiled at her 'brother' and patted his head, to which Rat looked greatly displeased. "Please, I know my hair is irresistible, but try to refrain from touching." And with that Rat flicked his head and was gone upstairs to his room. Kerry giggled as James ran his hand through his hair again.

"Does it look okay?" James asked, slightly nervous at what Kerry's response would be.

"I think it looks great. Abby won't be able to keep her hands off you tomorrow!" Kerry said, laughing.

"Not a chance. Isn't Milford pretty protective over his gorgeous daughter?"

"Probably." Kerry said, feeling slightly disappointed for a reason she could not pinpoint. Kerry smiled at James as she headed upstairs.

"Night."

"Night." Kerry pushed into her room and rummaged through her holdall to find her pyjamas. She changed and brushed her teeth in front of the mirror in the ensuite. As Kerry climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, she realised why she was so disappointed earlier.

She still loved James.

James was confused. He had sensed disappointment in Kerry's voice when he'd called Abby Milford gorgeous, but he didn't know why that was. Maybe she... No. James pushed the thought out of his head and concentrated on sleep. He needed to look refreshed for tomorrow. Tomorrow...

Rat awoke the next morning to the smell of fresh pancakes and bacon. He leapt out of bed, threw on yesterdays jeans with a fresh t-shirt and boxers, pulled a comb through his messy hair and raced down stairs, his stomach leading him the whole time. When he reached the table, James and John were already seated, tucking into fresh pancakes drenched in syrup with crispy bacon on the side. Rat drooled hungrily and pulled a chair out as John took a sip of black coffee,

"Sleep well, Rat?"

"Yeah, pretty good I guess. Where's Kerry?" Rat asked, piling his plate high with food. No sooner were the words out of his mouth had Kerry appeared at the door. She was already dressed, skinny jeans and a checked shirt, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. The only thing wrong was the black rings underneath her eyes.

"Kerry, you alright?" James asked, his voice full of concern. He had stopped eating his ketchup covered bacon when Kerry had entered.

"I'm alright. I just, couldn't sleep. I was thinking about things, I guess," Kerry sighed and took a carton of orange juice from the fridge, setting a glass on the counter as she closed the fridge again. "Anyone want some juice?" Kerry asked, as she began pouring.

"Mn, me, pwese." Rat mumbled, his mouth full. Kerry poured another glass of juice and handed it to Rat, lightly smacking the back of his head with her other hand.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, little brother." Kerry scolded gently, sitting down next to James.

"So, kids, today I want you to get close to our neighbours, the Milford's. Everyone okay with that?" John asked, folding the paper as he checked his watch. "I'll take that silence as a yes. Finish your breakfast and get out there, okay?" And with that, John left the table, leaving the three kids alone. James stood up and put his empty plate in the dishwasher.

"Ready when you are, guys." He said, rubbing his hands together. Kerry drained her glass and stood up.

"Me too. We'll meet you in the hall, okay Rat?" Rat nodded as he mopped up the last of his syrup with a pancake.

"I'm just coming." Rat replied, putting his plate on the sideboard and following the others, forgetting about his glass of juice. Kerry pulled on her Ugg boots and Rat pulled on his Converse as the trio made their way out of the door. They were heading down the path when Kerry stopped them,

"We need to make a plan. How about we knock the door and say we've just moved in, and want to get to know people?" Kerry suggested. James shrugged,

"Or we could just go speak to them." He said, pointing to a group of 15/16 year olds clustered on the pavement over the road.

"Or that." Kerry muttered, following behind the boys as they made their way over. Suddenly, James stopped dead, causing Kerry to walk into the back of him.

"Is that..." Kerry looked round from behind James and gasped at who she saw. Standing beside Abby Milford, was the person who could give them all away.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone! I just want to say thank you to all of my reviewers so far- Jake, clpotter, Charlie Hartley, Jessi-endings, lurvex, anon, Futurism, Emma and noname- thank you all! You are all awesome! I hope you all enjoy the next chapter. It's meant to be summer in Scotland. Which, if you live here, is not always that great. But it's meant to be in this story :L**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Nicole Eddison.

There she stood, as confident as ever, centre of attention among Abby and her 'posse'. James just stood there, staring, whereas Kerry looked shocked. If Nicole were to drop any hints regarding CHERUB, everything would be destroyed. Nicole had noticed the trio by now, and was making her way over to them, a slight smirk playing at her lips.

"So, James, Kerry, who's the little kid you got with you?" she asked, staring at James, hands on her hips.

"This is Rat. Our _brother._" Kerry replied, emphasising the 'brother'. Nicole rolled her eyes as Abby and Gary joined them, with Marc bringing up the rear beside 4 other teens.

"Nicole, who're you talking to?" Abby asked, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and eyeing James slightly.

"This is James, Rat and Kerry. We met at –" Nicole was cut off by Kerry, who jumped in worriedly.

"A summer camp we all went to last year." She said, running a hand through her hair. Gary smiled, and shook their hands,

"Hey. I'm Gary, this is my sister Abby, her friends Coleen and Jessica, my mates Euan and Jake, and this is my stupid brother Marc." He said, smacking Marc on the back of the head.

"Hi." Marc muttered, rubbing the back of his head where Gary had swiped him. Rat grinned at his target, and gestured towards the house,

"Want to come in and play the Xbox for a bit?" he asked. Marc smiled and nodded.

"Sure, anything to get away from their boring conversations!" Marc said, walking back up to the house with Rat. Jessica, Abby's brunette friend, smiled at the two retreating backs,

"Now that the littlies are gone, can we finally start the fun stuff?"

"What fun stuff?" James asked, curious to find out. Gary glared at Jessica, then turned back to James and Kerry.

"Listen, tonight, we're gonna have a bit of fun with our Dad's firework collection. If you want to be in our gang, come along to the beach tonight. Then you can truly prove that you've got what it takes." He said, menacingly. James nodded,

"Sure, we'll be there." He said, shaking Gary's proffered hand.

"7:30 tonight. Don't bottle out. Either of you." And with that, Gary turned on his heel and walked off towards his own house, his entourage following. Abby smiled at James and put her hand on his arm, bracelets jangling slightly,

"So, James. You don't look like a Scots lad."

"Nah, we're from down South, aren't we Kez?" Kerry nodded at Abby, who hardly seemed to have noticed Kerry's existence until now,

"So, what age are you, Kerry?"

"16."

"Hah, us too! Maybe you can hang out with us at school. Just maybe though." Abby said, her blue eyes sparkling as she swept away with Jessica, and Coleen, leaving Nicole with James and Kerry.

"All it would take is for one slip of the tongue, and your little secret would be out." Nicole said, venomously as she stalked away, her sandals slapping the ground with every harsh step. Once she was out of earshot, Kerry turned to James.

"That was NOT what I expected."

* * *

><p>It was 6:30 PM. Marc had left long ago and the family were eating a dinner of bolognaise. John swallowed his mouthful as he turned to James,<p>

"So, James, what happened with you today?"

"Well, we met the Milford's, and they had an, unexpected guest, shall we say." James said, hesitant to continue.

"Yes?" John prompted. Kerry took a sip of water,

"Nicole Eddison." She said, winding spaghetti round her fork. John's eyes widened slightly,

"And..."

"We got invited down to the beach with them. They're going to have some fun with fireworks, they said." James mumbled, mouth full of garlic bread.

"And you accepted?"

"Of course. Anything to help the mission," Kerry said, finishing off her last mouthful of spaghetti. She stood up and took her plate over to the sink. "You finished?" she asked Rat, who was sitting with an empty plate. He nodded as John turned to him,

"And Rat? How did you get on?"

"I made a pretty solid friendship with Marc. He doesn't really take much to do with his father's business." Rat said, taking a gulp of lemonade. John nodded,

"Keep working on that. He might not be telling you all he knows." John said, spearing a cherry tomato with his fork. Kerry placed a tub of ice-cream in the middle of the table on her way out of the room,

"I'm going to get ready. Don't eat it all, James!" she giggled, leaving the room. James sighed as he stood up, plate in hand,

"Guess I'd better go get ready too." He said, taking one last sip of Coke before pouring it down the sink. James' head was filled with negative thoughts as he made his way to his room. He just didn't feel good about tonight. He just didn't know why.

* * *

><p>30 minutes later, James was ready, waiting for Kerry at the bottom of the stairs. He wore baggy, light coloured denim jeans, white plimsolls and a tight, black vest. His brown hair was tousled with gel, and he wore his light brown contacts. Around his neck was a silver surf chain. He had sprayed himself with extra cologne to make a good impression. James checked his watch for about the fiftieth time in a minute, when Kerry finally came down the stairs. She wore a floaty, floral print dress that came to about her knees with white pumps. Her hair was straight, a small, silver clasp holding back her fringe. On her wrist was a plain, silver band with hearts engraved on it. James smiled at his 'sister' as they headed out the door together. Kerry was slightly nervous about what would happen this evening, but she was trained to be ready for anything. They could hear laughter from down at the beach already, and both jumped as a firework exploded in the sky, tiny bits of debris floating down. James took a deep breath as their feet hit the sand,<p>

"You okay?"

"Course." Kerry said as Gary bounded up to them.

"Thought you'd never show up! Come on!" He said, slurring his words slightly. He grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them over to where Jake was angling a firework towards one of the houses near to the beach. James and Kerry went to stand beside Abby as the firework was lit. Abby smiled at the duo as the firework shot off towards the house, leaving a trail of ash across the sky. The firework just skimmed the top of the house, and Kerry jumped as it narrowly missed the chimney pot.

"This is how we roll. We do this nearly every night!" Abby giggled. "We just have to hope for a good summer, uncharacteristic for Scotland!" she said, tying her long hair back into a ponytail as she ran over to the box of fireworks. She beckoned James and Kerry over, who gasped at the vast amount of fireworks there were. Abby grabbed a large rocket from the top of the pile and chucked it over the Jake, who caught it deftly and began to angle it towards the next house.

"Where does your Dad get these?" James breathed, gazing at the array of different types.

"He has lots of 'connections'." Abby said warily as another firework shot into the sky. She ran off towards Nicole, who was standing with Euan, a slightly guilty look on her face. Kerry looked up into James' brown eyes, full of worry.

Something wasn't right.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Please review! :)**

**thebestoftimes11 :)**


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